The Birth of Character
Summary
From a prologue delivered by an alchemist awaiting immolation, who posits that human character is a dynamic entity forged through life's relentless trials, emerges the turbulent saga of Harry. Caught between the virtuous allure of his beloved Grace and the corrupting influence of his dissolute companions, Harry's moral compass begins to waver. A desperate gambling loss pushes him to a momentary temptation to steal a diamond ornament, an impulse swiftly retracted but critically witnessed by Darby, a master criminal. This fleeting lapse marks Harry for recruitment into the underworld. Drawn into a clandestine gambling den by his friends, Harry narrowly escapes a police raid—orchestrated by his rival Arthur Vane—through the aid of Alice, the manager's daughter. This escape leads him directly to Alice's father, none other than Darby, thus cementing Harry's descent into criminality. Though engaged to the unsuspecting Grace, Harry’s life bifurcates; he executes a daring necklace burglary for Darby and is dispatched to a house party for further reconnaissance. Fate intervenes: Grace, present at the party, shoots the unknown intruder, only to discover it is Harry. Her subsequent repudiation, delivered with scorching scorn, shatters Harry's world, igniting his resolve for redemption. He surrenders, endures imprisonment, and emerges an ex-convict, ostracized by society. Alice, profoundly in love with him, selflessly intercedes with Grace, facilitating Harry's second chance. He begins a new, honest life, but his refusal to engage in further criminal acts incurs threats, from which Alice again saves him. Harry, however, repays her sacrifice with a cruel public snub, turning Alice’s love into a burning desire for vengeance. She conspires with Darby, luring Harry back to the underworld and orchestrating Grace's presence to witness his impending punishment. In the dramatic climax, as Darby prepares to end Harry, Grace, through a clever ruse, summons the police, rescuing both herself and Harry from the clutches of the criminal enterprise, a fragile triumph born from the crucible of profound moral struggle.
Synopsis
An alchemist, about to be burned at the stake, tells his captors that some day the teachings of the alchemists will be generally believed. The alchemist taught that the human character goes through a process of evolution and in the effort to conquer conditions about him, man finds his birth of character. Harry is in love with Grace. She is the good influence in his life. His companions influence him in the other direction. Large losses at cards make him desperate so that at a dance he is momentarily tempted to steal a diamond-studded hair ornament. The impulse immediately and he returns it, explaining that it dropped to the floor and he picked it up. Unfortunately a witness to both the impulse and the quick wit in pulling himself out of the dilemma was Darby, a master criminal. Later Harry is dragged to a gambling joint by his friends; the place is raided through Harry's bitter rival, Arthur Vane, from whom he rescues Alice, a girl who assists her father in the management of the place. All the boys are arrested except Harry, whom Alice saves by means of a secret door. He thus meets her father, who proves to be Darby. This leads Harry to his becoming the tool of Darby, and he is on the downward path. Harry and Grace become engaged. She does not know the life into which he is drifting. A dealer in objects shows them a valuable necklace. This latter is procured by Harry in a successful burglary. He is then sent to a fashionable house party by Darby to see what loot may be obtained there. Grace is a visitor at the same house party, and it is she who shoots him, not knowing his identity. Discovering who it is she saves him; the wound if only a scratch, but with scorn tells him she never wants to see him again. Harry then determines to make a man of himself, surrenders, and is imprisoned to pay the penalty of his crime. As an ex-convict he is welcomed only in the underworld. Alice, because she has fallen in love with him, unselfishly determines to help him, goes to Grace, pleads with her to overlook the past and give Harry a chance. Grace finally agrees to do so, and Alice sends Harry to her. He obtains a position and is rapidly demonstrating a real character. Refusing to have anything further to do with crooked work, he is threatened and only saved from trouble by the unselfish Alice. However, he repays this sacrifice with an open and cruel snub when with Grace he meets her on the street. Her love turns to hate. The master willingly lures him to his den, Alice maneuvers to lure Grace to the underworld, also so that she may be a witness to the punishment of her ungrateful lover. The situation works up to the dramatic climax where Darby is about to kill Harry when the police, summoned by Grace through a ruse, break in and she and Harry are saved.
